Statue of Leif Erikson (Reykjavík)
Statue in Reykjavík, Iceland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leifr Eiricsson,[1] sometimes called the Leif Eiricsson Memorial, is statue of Norse explorer Leif Erikson created by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The artwork was commissioned by the United States government as a gift to the Icelandic people for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþingi in 1930. The statue was unveiled on July 17, 1932, in Reykjavík, Iceland atop a hill overlooking the city.
Leifr Eiricsson | |
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Artist | Alexander Stirling Calder |
Year | 1929–1932 |
Medium | Bronze |
Subject | Leif Erikson |
Location | Reykjavík, Iceland |
Coordinates | 64°8′32.47″N 21°55′39.16″W |
A second casting of the statue was made for the Icelandic exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair; this casting currently stands at the Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. The statue's plaster model is part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection.
As an iconic image of Leif, Calder's statue has inspired a number of other artworks, and its image has been reproduced on stamps, souvenirs, and so forth.